Cardiac catheterisation (coronary angiogram)

What is cardiac catheterisation?

Cardiac catheterisation is a special investigation that uses x-rays and a dye to take detailed pictures of the coronary arteries – a technique called coronary angiography.

This procedure is usually carried out in patients suffering from angina, but may also be done for other reasons such as before heart valve surgery.

The name of the image produced from this procedure is called a ‘coronary angiogram’. This will help your doctor to find out the severity and the extent of your coronary artery disease and plan what treatment is needed.

Are there any alternatives to catheterisation?

At the moment, cardiac catheterisation is the only procedure that shows exactly where the narrowings are in your coronary arteries.

It is an essential procedure if you are going to have surgical or catheter treatment for your coronary artery disease. Other tests such as a thallium scan, or an exercise test can indicate if you have coronary artery disease, whilst a CT scan may be able to provide detailed information regarding the coronary arteries.

However, these tests cannot show the precise location and severity of the narrowings.

You may want to discuss the effects of not having the procedure with your doctor.

What are the benefits of catheterisation?

The benefit of having this procedure is that it will let your doctors have a more complete understanding of your heart and how well it is working, which will allow them to plan your treatment appropriately.

What are the risks of catheterisation?

All medical procedures are associated with a degree of risk. For a cardiac catheterisation procedure the overall risk of any serious complications is less than one in a thousand.

However, risks will vary from patient to patient and your doctor will discuss the proposed procedure with you and will advise you if your medical condition will affect the risk factors in any way.

Fixed price packages for self-funders

If you prefer to pay for your own inpatient treatment, we offer fixed price packages to help manage the cost of surgery and care while in hospital. As the treatment needs vary from patient to patient, you will need to provide an up-to-date medical report or referral to be reviewed by the agreed consultant.

A complimentary consultation to review this report and any test results you have can be arranged. This will determine whether you are eligible for our fixed package price.

For more information regarding our fixed price packages, please contact our customer care team.